Soon virtual tourists will be able to view images of Israel via Google street view, reducing the need to get on a carbon-emitting airplane. Google, our modern-day cartographers, have been discovering new ways to map out the world since 2007 when they came out with Google Maps. One of the ways in which they’ve created […]
The Shouf Cedar Reserve is working tirelessly to protect Lebanon’s cedar forests from climate change. Fifteen years ago, civil war posed the greatest threat to Lebanon’s majestic cedar forests, but today climate change is their most prominent foe. The largest of Lebanon’s natural reserves and home to one quarter of the nation’s almost mythological cedar […]
This attractive Adhoc canoe packs down to the size of a backpack and weighs pretty close to nothing! It’s time to face the truth: I am an eco-nomad. Although it’s sometimes challenging to live up to my fullest green fantasies on the road, I do my best, though I often miss having easy access to […]
Led by Berber guides, five Australians and I head out on the Chebbi dunes outside Merzouga, Morocco for an unforgettable night under star-filled skies. Yesterday, Merzouga in southern Morocco (a stone’s throw from the border of Algeria) was so hot that I almost passed out in the internet cafe where I worked all day. There’s […]
Pottery has been passed on for several generations in el-Qasr, an ancient village 12 hours south of Cairo. In the medieval village el-Qasr, set at the foot of a limestone mountain in Egypt’s western desert, pottery is taken very seriously. In their book Egypt, Civilization of the Sands, Pauline and Philippe de Flers quote the […]
Surrounded by trash in a small enclosure, this village woman from el-Qasr, Egypt, bakes several loaves of bread in giant clay “jar.” Baking bread el-Qasr style isn’t great for the lungs, but it does wonders for the beleaguered soul. Twelve hours south of Cairo, past the enigmatic White desert, and past the lush Farafra Oasis, […]
The revolution has been great for Egyptian sovereignty, but hard on the economy. Fearful tourists should know that traveling through the country can be safe (and fascinating!) The cozy Felfela restaurant in downtown Cairo serves up delicious food with plenty of choices for both omnivores and vegetarians. Just one block from Tahrir Square, where hundreds […]
ResponsibleTravel.com customers on holiday in Egypt. Feluccas and Pharoahs, a popular trip. British ethical tourism pioneers ResponsibleTravel.com has celebrated its tenth birthday by announcing its biggest ten sellers over the last decade – and Middle Eastern destinations top the list. Responsible Travel offers hundreds of holidays across the world and its birthday announcement also included […]
Could First Choice all-inclusive holidays spell the end for small businesses in Middle Eastern resorts? First Choice, one of Britain’s leading package holiday companies, announced this week that all holidays sold as of 2012 under its brand will be all-inclusive. This means that as well as flights and hotels, the price that tourists pay up-front […]
At this time of ecological uncertainty, can we really justify $200,000 adrenalin hits for the rich? In 2010, according to the World Hunger Organization, 925 million of our fellow human beings went hungry. Meanwhile, untold millions (billions?) of US dollars are being spent to develop the Virgin Galactic Spaceship, of which the BBC has been […]
Souvenirs of the recent revolution are already on sale in Tahrir Square In recent weeks, Green Prophet has reported on concerns for MENA regional eco-tourism after visitor numbers slumped over concerns about safety, and on worries that the conflict in Libya could damage the country’s stunning historical remains. But plans to promote Middle East and […]
Take up the green challenge when you go to Hajj by following these four simple steps
According to our calculations, a pilgrimage to Mecca from the UK releases more tonnes of carbon than the average French person does in a year In part 1 of our feature on Green Hajj, we worked out that the carbon footprint of the average UK Hajj pilgrim is pretty high. Our guinea pigs, the Hussain […]
What is your Hajj footprint? Arwa starts calculting her family's
This guide is a must-read for anyone dating a “green” person. If you want to keep them till next Valentine’s Day, read on. The most recent Valentine’s Day may have reminded you that it’s a harsh dating world out there. Whether you’re lucky enough to meet someone through a chance encounter at the coffee shop, […]